The first round of nurses will start in June 2022 and finish in May 2024, working alongside teachers, learning critical thinking skills and more.
FINDLAY, Ohio – Starting a new career can be a difficult transition, especially for those in the medical field. That’s why Blanchard Valley Health System is launching a program this summer to provide better training for nurses.
A Findlay-based healthcare company has announced the creation of its nursing residency program for new incoming nurses to help them understand how BVHS serves its patients and help transition from graduation to bedside care.
“When you start as a new graduate, it’s very scary. There are a lot of different things and a lot of things to know,” said Jessica Heckle, a clinical nurse at BVHS. “We hope this program will bridge that gap and help them with their transition as a new graduate.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many nursing classes online due to health and safety restrictions, which has hurt some nurses, said Jessica Moore, director of inpatient nursing at BVHS.
“Some of the nurse clinics were cut back, or they had to be more virtual rather than in a real hospital setting,” Moore said. “So we also found that our new nurses lack that confidence, they lack comfort with bedside skills.”
Most nursing residencies last about 12 weeks, but the BVHS program will be for a full year. It will also offer rolling admissions for new hires, so they won’t have to wait to start a full calendar year.
BVHS nurses hired within the past six months will also be automatically enrolled.
New nurses will work alongside mentors, learn critical thinking skills and practice in life-like simulations.
“The time management, the teamwork, the communication skills that they need to feel prepared, this program will give them that so that they have confidence,” Heckle said. “I wish we had this when I was a brand new graduate because I think it would make a big difference in their confidence and how they approach nursing because now they have the tools they need to practice at bed”.
The first round of nurses for the residency program will begin in June 2023 and end in May 2024.
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/blanchard-valley-health-system-nursing-residency-program/512-8fd81153-f6fb-4e95-910e-7ce3f4dca1b7
